Posted by Arun Bhat on August 14, 2016

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Earlier this year, I made several visits to Art of Living International Center in Bangalore to photo-document a school of traditional knowledge: a Gurukula. Here is a collection of images from my visits.

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Located at a short drive south of Bangalore is Veda Agama Samskrutha Maha Pathashala, a school that teaches Vedic scriptures and prepares the students to perform Vedic rituals and perpetuate the traditions.

The school, often referred to as Gurukula is established and managed by the Art of Living International Center headed by Sri Sri Ravishankar.

A student at his dormitory in Gurukula.

Nearly all Gurukulas will have residential schooling. This is perhaps essential as the students do not just learn from the books, but are also expected to learn and practice the vedic way of life. The day begins early with daily prayer rituals, and the students have to follow a structured scheduled until 9pm everyday.

Students begin the day early in the morning by performing Sandhyavandana, a chanting saluting the moment of the day. The ritual is performed thrice a day--during sunrise, noon and sunset.

For fresh students, sessions begin early as they learn Sandhyavandana in the morning, supervised by a senior.

A student walking towards his class in the Gurukula campus.

Students practicing and reciting a mantra in their class before the teacher arrives to begin the day's session.

Prasanna is a fourth year student at the Gurukula. Similar to many other students in the school, he also hails from South India and is the son of a priest.

Students during a classroom along with their teacher.

'Bramhapuri' is a teacher at the Gurukula. He became a teacher after completing his course at the Gurukula itself.

Senior students sit outside their classroom and softly recite on their own before the classes begin.

Students at a discussion in the campus before their classes begin.

A student at the Gurukula.

Students are also expected to take part in upkeep of the campus. Some students assigned to the tasks will spend some time everyday keeping the premises clean and decorating sacred places with flowers.

Occasionally, students get to take a break from learning or studying the scriptures. Few days in a week, a karate instructor visits to the campus to teach for an hour. Students also receive what is needed to be worldly-wise, including regular education but to a lesser degree than students who go to regular schools.

Students perform Agni Karya in the evening hours. Agni Karya is a ritual of worshiping fire.